What is Schema Therapy?
Schema Therapy
Schema therapy is based on the idea that people form early maladaptive schemas, thoughts and beliefs about themselves or others, based on their environments and life experiences. If a person's emotional needs are not met, these schemas can lead to unhealthy life patterns - particularly in relationships
- Focus: Help people better understand their triggers, emotional needs, and improve their functioning and management of emotions
- Goal: Identify 2-3 schemas that are causing the most challenges and minimize their impact
- Benefits: Schema therapy was designed for people who may experience reoccurring mental health challenges and life-long concerns
Some Examples of Early Maladaptive Schemas Include:
- Emotional Deprivation
- Abandonment/Instability
- Mistrust/Abuse
- Defectiveness/Shame
- Social Isolation
- Vulnerability to Harm or Illness
- Dependence/Incompetence
- Enmeshment
- Failure to Achieve
More on Schema Therapy
Schema therapy was developed by Dr. Jeffrey E. Young for use in the treatment of personality disorders and other chronic conditions such as long-term depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Schema therapy is often utilized when patients fail to respond or relapse after having been through other therapies (for example, traditional cognitive behavioral therapy in isolation). In recent years, schema therapy has also been adapted for use in forensic settings, complex trauma and PTSD, and with children and adolescents.
Schema therapy is an integrative psychotherapy combining original theoretical concepts and techniques with those from pre-existing models, including cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory, Gestalt therapy, constructivism, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Five Core Emotional Needs
Schema therapy is based on the idea that people have essential emotional needs that need met during their development.
- Secure attachment to others (includes safety, stability, nurturance, and acceptance)
- Autonomy, competence, and sense of identity
- Freedom to express valid needs and emotions
- Spontaneity and play
- Realistic limits and self-control
A person's biological temperament also plays an important role in how emotional needs are expressed. As a child grows up, they are largely dependent on their caregivers to meet these emotional needs. The ability for caregivers to meet these continua of emotional needs can have a strong impact on the way children develop as individuals and how they try to meet their needs as adults.
It’s important to note, however, that schemas generally form as a result of repeated experiences in childhood or adolescence. So, if parents fail to meet their child’s needs in a certain situation, this is not an indicator that the child will develop specific maladaptive schemas.
CBT & DBT Stress Management Techniques
Stress can impact every aspect of our lives, but it doesn't have to control you. Schema therapy is integrative with evidence-based cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral therapeutic techniques to help with immediate stress management.
Religious Trauma
Religious Trauma & Schema Development
Leaving a religious group is a significant life transition that can lead to confusion, strained relationships, and a sense of losing community. For those leaving high-control groups, the emotional impact can be so intense that it may result in trauma.
During this major life shift, people often have intense feelings of grief, anxiety, and anger, coupled with feelings of relief and liberation. These experience can increase the likelihood of developing schemas, including:
- Abandonment/Instability
- Mistrust/Abuse
- Defectiveness/Shame
- Approval-Seeking/Recognition-Seeking
- Being Overly Dependent/Incompetent
- Social Isolation
- High Standards Towards Self or Others
Do any of these religious experiences resonate with you?
- It was unacceptable to express my true emotions in my religious group.
- Leaders in my group did not acknowledge harm they caused to others.
- Some religious leaders shared information about other people (through prayer requests orotherwise) that should have been kept private.
- I believed that God's love and acceptance of me was dependent upon my performance inthe church/group.
- I currently have trouble trusting religious leaders/religious groups.
- I no longer trust myself to find a good spiritual community.
- I was harshly criticized by religious leaders or group members.
- I felt like a spiritual failure, and I depended on my leader/religious group to "get it right.”
- I believed God would punish me if I didn't do what my church/group encouraged me to do.
- I didn’t feel free to ask questions or express concerns in my church/group.
- I felt dependent on religious group members.
- My religious leaders used fear to control people.
- I know that I or others were encouraged to serve as the eyes and ears for our leaders to get information about our members.
- At times, I was scolded by religious leaders and made to feel ashamed and helpless.
- I now feel lonely and misunderstood because of my religious group experiences.
Adapted from Katheryn Hope Keller’s (2016) PhD Dissertation entitled “Development of a Spiritual Abuse Questionnaire” available from doi:twu-ir.tdl.org/handle/11274/8760
What is Religious Trauma?
Many experience religion as an added support to their mental health, but for others, religion is a source of complex psychological stress, painful memories, and trauma. The Religious Trauma Institute (2022) defines religious trauma as “the physical, emotional, or psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that is experienced by an individual as overwhelming or disruptive and has lasting adverse effects on a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.”
Examining religious trauma does not mean rejecting or opposing all religion. Instead, it opens a path towards healing for those who have been harmed by their experiences. There’s not one
correct path forward.